Background The Wylam Brewery Palace of Arts

This is the latest cool addition to the city’s cool drinking circuit & thus this page.

This is a real winner, by far the most interesting (& as we are about to highlight), potentially important place to open in Newcastle in the last decade.

So here’s all the background juice we know about it & our vibe with it over the years…

It was built yonks ago when everyone either had servants or was one, we think for some kinda exhibition – thus Exhibition park.

We first encountered it when our Tribe expanded in the early 90s. Nothing like a coupla infant Apes to make you take notice of the city’s parks.

The Grandpa Gorilla in our crew is a train enthusiast & he used to take the baby Gorillas on a Sunday, to ride on trains out the back of where this place is.

The trains were like model ones, but a lot bigger, all accurately scaled up & running on real steam, so it was like a train fanciers paradise & great fun for the kids.

There was a big track back there & they rode around all afternoon, kinda like Thomas the Tank Engine was real..?!!

To our really small Gorillas back then, that was a really massive, massive deal.

Pretty sure this goes on out the back of there these days on a Sunday still.

We think back even before that time, it was some kinda military vehicle or coach museum..?

We have a vague memory as kids, of being in there & seeing like tanks & big funny looking carriages like this one & stuff.

Anyway this building hasn’t really been used, or properly open to the people of the city for years now, so it’s great to see it come back into circulation.

The Wylam Brewery crew have it now, having expanded their horizons & overall team structure significantly.

This is a marriage that works, as they have together hustled the place from a total wreck, into a state of the art 21st century brewery, bar & fab venue space.

It’s like drinking for grown ups & it’s got a cool, minimal look, though it is nice & comfy.

It’s a beer thing so there’s a load of different ales always appearing at the bar & a total lack of any center of town Geordie Shore knackerbrains.

(Readers’s voice: Errr… Tell you what, let’s not.. Lets all go for a drink & some food instead, miles away from you two plums!)

They’ve just got a Sunday licence now as well, after doubtlessly having to put up with the usual bunch of Jesmond Charlies, objecting blithely to something they can’t even begin to understand…

Anyone who knows the city well, is aware what’s up at the moment over that way…

Jesmond, especially Osborne Road is pure rubbish bar wise.

The standard is so poor over there, that it’s a toss up, to try to find the one or two bars, where you don’t whiff the toilets the minute you walk through the front door.

Honestly, bar one or two it’s total mainstream wank.

(Editors note: The Jesmond Ghetto, pictured earlier today…)

Now with all the cuts etc., the Council has to really make ends meet, long term & seems to fancy all the council tax, that the students don’t have to pay for all those addresses they live in over there…

So all over the rest of the city, student accommodation blocks are suddenly springing up.

The plan would appear to be, to group students all in the one block, paying no council tax & re populate all those Jesmond addresses, with council tax paying families & the dreaded, well heeled, young professionals.

Who knows, maybe rents might even come down a bit..?

It’s just what we’ve noticed so it’s not like some kinda theory – It’s what’s actually happening right now, you can see it starting all over town.

No one can say how it will all pan out, the students may well all just stay in Jesmond, it’s such a nice part of town.

Many students will be reading this & hi to all you chums. We hope you are enjoying the Club & our site!

Have you seen Complaint Corner yet..?

Make sure you don’t miss it & be certain to check out the story of ‘Prince Goffrin’ over there, to hear all about his ‘Tragic Ordeal. It’s a classic.

Anyway, we digress… We have a quick question for you…

Do think you would wanna move out of Jesmond & into one of those new blocks..? What do you reckon..? Don’t think we would.

But long term, Os Road as a predominately student hang out in term time, with bars on the slide, maybe just could have it’s days numbered…

So whether you & your Crew stay or go, do any of us wanna see the standard of bars plummet further..?

Or should the bar owners embrace a new benchmark & raise the game for the whole area..?

If you think the fat, corporate leisure companies, who invest around there won’t have one eye on the success of Wylam Brewery & bear that in mind, when they refit or develop places around there in future then you are both a nut…

& a banana….

Why apparently sane local residents can’t seem to tell the difference, between that current crop of Osborne road waffle & what the Wylam boys are doing over at the Palace is beyond us..?!

The supposed noise issue was such a non starter it borders on the ridiculous. You can’t hear a peep from the Palace as you walk out the park, even when it’s in full swing, never mind across in Jesworld.

Just nimby wee folk with nowt better to grumble about we reckon. Just misguided basically.

If you are reading this & you are a Jesmond Charlie who has been mithering on to the Council etc about this, shame on you.

For the area to improve you need catalysts & good people with vision, who care enough to take risks.

Other wise all that will happen is Ossy Road will get worse & worse & you will all just cry more…

If the Palace works & it sure seems to be, it raises the bar, setting a whole new table of possibility & kicks starts the whole area’s drinking culture from it’s current gradual slide, to a far a better & more positive, inclusive upward trajectory.

We know you probably think that you live there, so you know best, but honestly & with the greatest respect & sincerity, on this one – we’re afraid you don’t.

Having a venue like the Palace within walking distance of Jesmond will protect, not lower your precious house prices, you just need to get over yoursleves, clock the bigger picture & care about more than just your own backyard.

You are deffo not right about this – so please try considering that as a possibility.

It’s just that you are so sick of Os Road (at times understandably)& your head is thus positioned way too far up your own patties, for you to be able to see that this is a totally different kind of place.

So can we respectfully ask you to please belt up..?

Thank you Charlie, we appreciate you taking our point of view on board.

Now go & have a drink in the Wylam Brewery, once you’ve given that green arrow a click & we’ve told you all about it…